Trash disposal contract could save money for Pointes, Harper Woods

GROSSE POINTES/HARPER WOODS — The members of the Grosse Pointes-Clinton Refuse Disposal Authority — the five Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods — are hoping to save some money on trash disposal in the near future.

At a July 8 GPCRDA Board meeting in Grosse Pointe Park, the board voted unanimously in favor of a proposal to relocate their waste stream from the South Macomb Disposal Authority transfer station in Roseville to the J. Fons Co. transfer station at 6451 E. McNichols Road in Detroit, which is owned by Priority Waste. GPCRDA Board Chair Peter Randazzo presented the board with a proposal from Priority to dispose of trash for $34 per ton in 2025, with incremental increases over the next two years.

Randazzo said the Priority bid was $4.96 per ton lower than what GPCRDA members are paying to SMDA now.

He said he visited the J. Fons transfer station to see its operations in person.

“It seemed like it was a pretty good operation,” said Randazzo, who is knowledgeable about refuse operations as the director of public service for Grosse Pointe City.

Randazzo said the J. Fons station has the capacity to accept the roughly 25,000 tons of trash that the GPCRDA produces annually.

“There’s no issue with them taking the tonnage,” Randazzo said.

GPCRDA Attorney John Gillooly told the board they did a “great job” in securing a reduced fee.

“This could result in saving a lot of money for the Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods,” Gillooly said.

Gillooly said the contract won’t take effect until the board formally approves it, likely at a special meeting. Gillooly will review the agreement before the board votes. A special meeting is expected to take place in August, but a date hadn’t been set at press time.

Once the board approves the contract, Randazzo said “there’s no wait time” to start taking trash to J. Fons. The GPCRDA doesn’t have a contract in place at this time with the SMDA.

There was concern among the GPCRDA member communities about the prospect of higher fees from the state. Randazzo said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proposed raising tipping fees by $5 per ton statewide.

“For us, it’s (equal to) about $10,000 a year for our community,” said Randazzo, who represents Grosse Pointe City — one of the smallest of the GPCRDA member communities.

Randazzo said the $5 per ton fee would be the equivalent of a roughly $100,000 annual increase for the GPCRDA overall. The actual increase per city would depend on the amount of trash that city gets rid of each year.

It wasn’t known at press time if that statewide increase would be implemented. If it does get approved, it would essentially wipe out any savings the GPCRDA experienced as a result of taking garbage to a different transfer station.